Highland Park, Michigan
| Highland Park, Michigan | |
|---|---|
| City | |
| City of Highland Park | |
 Location in Wayne County and the state of Michigan |
|
| Coordinates: 42°24′13″N 83°6′6″W / 42.40361°N 83.10167°WCoordinates: 42°24′13″N 83°6′6″W / 42.40361°N 83.10167°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Michigan |
| County | Wayne |
| Incorporated (village) | 1890 |
| Incorporated (city) | 1918 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Council-Mayor |
| • Mayor | Hubert Yopp |
| Area | |
| • Total | 2.97 sq mi (7.70 km2) |
| • Land | 2.97 sq mi (7.69 km2) |
| • Water | 0 sq mi (0 km2) |
| Elevation | 636 ft (194 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 11,776 |
| • Estimate (2012) | 11,689 |
| • Density | 3,965.0/sq mi (1,530.9/km2) |
| Time zone | EST (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC6) |
| ZIP code | 48203 |
| Area code(s) | 313 |
| FIPS code | 26-38180 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0628251 |
| Website | highlandparkcity.org |
Highland Park is a city in Wayne County in the State of Michigan, within Metro Detroit. The population was 11,776 at the 2010 census. The city is completely surrounded by Detroit except for a small portion that touches the city of Hamtramck, which is also surrounded by Detroit.
The area that was to become Highland Park began as a small farming community, on a large ridge located at what is now Woodward Avenue and Highland, six miles (9.7 km) north of Detroit. In 1818, prominent Detroit judge Augustus B. Woodward bought the ridge, and platted the village of Woodwardville in 1825. The development of the village failed. Another Detroit judge, Benjamin F. H. Witherell, son of Michigan Supreme Court justice James Witherell, attempted to found a village platted as Cassandra on this site in 1836, but this plan also failed.
By 1860, the settlement was given a post office under the name of Whitewood. After a succession of closures and reopenings of the rural post office, the settlement was finally incorporated as a village within Greenfield Township and Hamtramck Township under the name of Highland Park in 1889.
In 1907, Henry Ford purchased 160 acres (65 ha) just north of Manchester Street between Woodward Avenue and Oakland Street to build an automobile plant. Construction of the Highland Park Ford Plant was completed in 1909, and the area's population dramatically increased just a few years later in 1913, when Henry Ford opened the first assembly line at the plant. The village of Highland Park was incorporated as a city in 1918 to protect its tax base, including its successful Ford plant, from Detroit's expanding boundaries.
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Wikipedia